WB to develop ‘Marvin the Martian’

Looney Tunes character coming to bigscreen

Warner Bros. is launching development of a “Marvinthe Martian” feature at Alcon Entertainment, with principals Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove producing along with Steve Crystal.

Project will blend live action and CGI.

Marvin was created by Chuck Jones and made his first appearance in a Looney Tunes cartoon in 1948. The character was often intent on blowing up the Earth, only to be foiled by Bugs Bunny.

Crystal, a former Warner exec with a first-look deal at Alcon through his Charlie Co. banner, developed the pitch as a Christmas story, with Marvin coming to Earth to destroy Christmas but being prevented from doing so when he’s trapped in a gift box. Alcon’s out to writers and directors.

Johnson and Kosove told Daily Variety that “Marvin” will be aimed at the family demo along the same lines as Alcon’s “Racing Stripes” and “My Dog Skip.”

Alcon announced in May that it had raised $550 million in private funding and extended its deal at Warner, with the studio agreeing to distribute 15 Alcon pics domestically over the next five years, including the already-released pair “P.S. I Love You” and “One Missed Call” plus “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2,” which opens Aug. 6.